How PV Sindhu came close but failed to end decade of frustration against An Se Young

PV Sindhu came agonisingly close to ending a decade of frustration against An Se Young. But the World No. 1 from South Korea, unbeaten against the Indian in 11 meetings now, found another gear when it mattered, storming back to win the French Open BWF Super 750 final 16-21, 21-11, 21-12 on Sunday.The top seed’s latest triumph was historic in more ways than one. It was her 10th title of the 2026 season, her fourth French Open crown overall and her third in a row. It also stretched her unbroken winning run to 50 matches, a measure of the dominance she has built in women’s singles.For a large part of the opening game, the script appeared to be heading in an unfamiliar direction. Sindhu came out aggressively, attacking from the first rally and pushing An onto the back foot with a barrage of sharp smashes to stretch the advantage to 15-9. She stayed composed in the closing stages, reached game point and completed the 21-16 win.By An’s own admission, she was rushing and could not find the length in that game.The champion’s response in the second game was swift and emphatic. She raced to a 3-0 lead and soon made it 11-7. The lead ballooned to 19-8 before she sealed the game 21-11 and levelled the match.Once An found her range, she was dominant. Her movement, especially from the backcourt to the net, was lightning quick, and she toyed with the Indian through an array of shots.The third game began in Sindhu’s favour. She moved to a 3-1 lead, only for An to regain control and edge ahead at 5-4. The Indian continued to fight and opened up an 8-5 advantage while An briefly struggled to find her rhythm.That was the moment the match could have tilted. But An, exploiting gaps in Sindhu’s movement, fought back to level at 8-8 and then took an 11-9 lead into the interval. From there she tightened her grip, mixing delicate net shots and pushes with powerful smashes to stretch the advantage to 15-9. She completed the 21-12 win.Sindhu left the court disappointed but encouraged by her performance, particularly after taking a game off the World No. 1.“I fought for every point, I could win the first game and I was happy about it,” she said.Pointing to the decider, she added: “Even in the third set, I should have maintained the lead from 8-5. But unfortunate that she converted that into 11-9. So that’s where I felt the difference was. But a lot of positives to take from this match. Going forward, I need to work on them.”Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.